Good 3DS Titles that aren't Poke'mon

Hey, paesanos! I've gotten myself a 3DS XL and now I have no idea what to do.

So, if by any chance more than two people here have one then a recommendation would be nice, since I don't really like going by "Top Ten" lists.

When I had a 3DS I liked Ocarina of Time 3D, Snake Eater, Kid Icarus was ok, Super Mario 3D Land was aight if you're into Mario. Other then that I can't really say much else.

This god damn thing doesn't have shit on it.















'Course it's only been out for like, what, 2 years?

I hear that Wayforward make some snazzy games. The Shantae "Mighty" Games are good from what i hear. They also make games based of cartoon network shows if that's up your alley (if you want, i guess).
Other games that look neato to me for the 3DS (which i still need to get) are that Luigi's Mansion game, Shin Megami Tensei IV, Kid Icarus, and some other nintendo shit like Animal Crossing or Starfox 3D.
Hope this helps ya in getting new games.

Quote :

I hear that Wayforward make some snazzy games. The Shantae "Mighty" Games are good from what i hear. They also make games based of cartoon network shows if that's up your alley (if you want, i guess).
Other games that look neato to me for the 3DS (which i still need to get) are that Luigi's Mansion game, Shin Megami Tensei IV, Kid Icarus, and some other nintendo shit like Animal Crossing or Starfox 3D.

I have the original Shantae for the GBC & it's pretty good, although the platforming can feel a bit slippery at times & there's a hefty amount of leaps of faith throughout; the sequel's supposed to be a lot better. Shin Megami Tensei IV's at the top of my list too, although I'm actually a bit more interested in Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers myself.

Snake Eater is probably good, considering it was one of the best PS2 games.

Hey, let's rev this topic as I've had one and now have some $$$ for games.

So, what's good in the 3DS 'hood as of 2/4/14?

Fire Emblem: Awakening. Hard as shit on high difficulty, but damn is it good. Best SRPG you can get at the moment.

*Edit* Another good'un is Etrian Odyssey IV. Another hard RPG incorporating cartography as a gameplay element.

Can't think of any other games that aren't RPGs and haven't already been mentioned, so CIAO

It's an RPG & it's already been mentioned, but nobody's given any personal input on it yet.

I asked for SMT: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers last Christmas & ended up getting SMT IV on accident - I figured it was just as good so I had no complaints. I'm just about at the end and it was a good experience overall, albeit with a few noticeable flaws:

• A good chunk of the content (including the true final boss) was only accessible through DLC, which was a gigantic disappointment and I believe a first for the SMT franchise (hopefully a last too).
  
• The Tokyo/overworld exploration is awful - clunky, flat, boring, etc.
  
• The story, while dark, just isn't particularly engaging, with an ensemble of one-dimensional characters to boot.
  
• Most of the new demon designs are kind of bland and feel out-of-place.
  

Aside from these flaws the game was pretty solid; the overall presentation (menus, battles, etc.) was great, the compendium/fusion system is addictive (as always), and the battle system's pretty much untouched, save for a few quirks that mainly just add to the experience. Considering the SMT franchise's reputation for being difficult, I was surprised by how easy it was (especially since I'd only played Persona 3 & 4 beforehand) - that can be partially attributed to the fact that you can save everywhere, but even with that, I only really had any troubles with a couple early bosses.

8.5/10

So would you think the one you desired last Christmas would be better or worse than IV? Personally, I've been looking for a good RPG to get into on the go.

I mainly asked for Soul Hackers because, as I stated earlier, the main series Shin Megami Tensei games are notoriously difficult, whereas I'd heard no complaints about Soul Hackers' difficulty - but then SMT4 ended up not being so difficult. In retrospect, though, Soul Hackers still seems like it would be a bit more up my alley; as far as settings go, I definitely prefer the futuristic cyberpunk Tokyo of Soul Hackers to the conflicting historic samurai/post-apocalyptic-Tokyo (I know it sound weird on paper; you'd have to play the game to figure out how that works) setting of SMT4.

One thing that skews a lot of people towards SMT4 versus me towards Soul Hackers is the fact that Soul Hackers is a port of a Sega Saturn game with minimal upgrades, so a lot of reviewers complained about the "clunky" interface; I've still yet to play Soul Hackers, but SMT4 had really good presentation, so it probably wins in this category.

I've also heard a few complaints regarding Soul Hackers' gameplay - I guess sometimes the demons you recruit can disobey you/run away? Also, something about your allies being controlled by AI? Keep in mind I've only read reviews, so I'm not entirely sure if this is true or not.

Finally, there's navigation - Soul Hackers is an old-fashioned SMT title, so the navigation is classical first-person dungeon crawling, whereas SMTIV is in 3rd-person and offers full 3D movement; SMT4 would definitely win this initially, but then there's the overworld/tokyo exploration, which, as I said earlier, is a real pain.

When it all boils down to it (from what I know), SMT4 has the better battle system/overall gameplay, presentation, graphics, and I'm guessing accessibility (the first hour of the game is basically a tutorial, and a helpful one at that - plus there's the fact that you can save anywhere); Soul Hackers, on the other hand, has a more engaging story/characters, is more authentic to the Megami Tensei franchise, and has the whole old-school charm going for it. Also, with Soul Hackers you get the full package whereas SMT4 has a shit-ton of DLC.

Honestly, my recommended starting point for the SMT series would be Persona 4 (especially Persona 4 Golden for the Vita - although the original's on the PS2 if you don't have a Vita/don't plan on getting one), but I think I remember you posting on that Persona 4 thread back on CombustingHerpes, so you're probably set.

Alright, guess I'll shoot for 4 then.

Yeah, Etrian Odyssey is set up the same way when it comes to navigation. Developed by the same dudes, it's essentially SMT except based more on exploration and character customization.


Haven't played SMT IV yet but honestly I've always enjoyed the main series more than its clones/spinoffs, so yeah, go with it.

Yo Nova, you played Nocturne? If so, just how hard is it? I'm taking a break from SMT games at the moment after playing through P4G, P3FES & SMT4 consecutively, but I know Nocturne's supposed to be both the best & most difficult of the traditional SMT games.

Fuck, I literally JUST started on that and quit because a friend of mine got me into Dark Souls. Most I can remember is that the first boss is a piece of cake(Which says something since most SMT games try to break you right from the get-go), and from there on out the difficulty spikes like any other SMT-like game.




Course there's also different difficulty levels, and I might of chosen normal because I suck at RPGs.

Der Wombat wrote:

Alright, guess I'll shoot for 4 then.

Well since this entire board's gotten like five posts since this was posted, I might as well ask if you ever got it.

Richard Persimmons wrote:

Der Wombat wrote:

Alright, guess I'll shoot for 4 then.

Well since this entire board's gotten like five posts since this was posted, I might as well ask if you ever got it.

I did, emulated it on PCSX2 with all the fancy settings.

I got it just a few days ago, actually.

I'm kinda mixed about it, though. Combat's hard but well-varied in options which makes it tactful, which I enjoy a whole lot. But at the same time I find basic things like exploration and visuals(minus the demon art, although it's just re-hashed from previous titles) really uninteresting. The only thing that's keeping me going is the supposed promise of it getting better(I'm in the forest right now) all the critics made to me.

Also there's the grind but I've grown used to that kind of shit by now.

NovaBoso wrote:

I got it just a few days ago, actually.

I'm kinda mixed about it, though. Combat's hard but well-varied in options which makes it tactful, which I enjoy a whole lot. But at the same time I find basic things like exploration and visuals(minus the demon art, although it's just re-hashed from previous titles) really uninteresting. The only thing that's keeping me going is the supposed promise of it getting better(I'm in the forest right now) all the critics made to me.

Also there's the grind but I've grown used to that kind of shit by now.

I'm kinda on the opposite of the spectrum - I was sucked into it at the beginning & began to progressively lose interest once I got past Naraku. That being said, things like the fusion system & side quests did not at all fail to keep me going. I'll agree that despite the excellent presentation, the dungeons & visuals are a bit lackluster and that the other main series games look better.

Speaking of Atlus RPGs, would you say the Etrian Odyssey games are better than SMT IV? And if so, how much/why? The series looks interesting to me & I definitely want to get into it, but at the same time I've been contemplating waiting for Persona Q to come out & essentially treating that as my entry point considering it's by the same team as EO & shares the same mechanics.

I've played EO 1 and 2, and since 2 is easily superior to the first in nearly every way it'll be the one I use for comparison(although I've heard EOIV is excellent and even has an overworld, unlike the first two)

Etrian Odyssey has the heart of a hardcore old-school rpg, that meaning it really has little thematic personality like SMT. No character of yours has any personality whatsoever and in fact are not even referred to by NPCs, who instead address the guild you create. The only real character development in this game involves talking to the NPCs every time you move up a floor but this is mostly a gimmick. Also the monsters, while interestingly drawn, are definitely not as interesting in design or concept as SMT. So if any of this is vital for your enjoyment then give EO a pass.

From a pure gameplay standpoint I admit I had a ton more fun with EO 2 than I'm having with SMT IV, so here's a rundown of what I liked about EO 2

-EO is the only game series I've played that makes running into dead ends fun(or at least tolerable). That's something to be said. Again, the series employs cartography as a gameplay element that extends far beyond a gimmick. The ability(And necessity) to draw where you've walked on a particular floor allows for infinitely complex dungeon designs without it ever being frustrating. You'll find hidden passageways, staircases leading back to new, secluded areas on floors you thought you thought you had already cleared, etc. Even though both games have involved reaching the 25th floor of a labyrinth the process of doing so is surprisingly intricate and non-linear.


-Effective battling derives more from tactful character development rather than careful ability selection like in SMT IV. This comes from a well executed skill system that becomes deeper as you get further into the game. There's an impressive amount of character customization in this game, given its old-school persona. Some skills require points in other skills in order to be unlocked(i.e. "Swiftcut" requires 7 points in "Swords" and 1 point in "agility up" in order to be built on) which adds a feeling of progression as well.

- Classes are extremely well varied, balanced; none break the game(from what I know).

- Every 5 floor section(called a stratum) of the labyrinth is a unique and visually interesting area that really pushes the poor DS to its limits.

- Music uses cheap-sounding instruments but is well composed and fits the atmosphere well.

- Item acquisition is really interesting as weapon and item shops require materials that you gather in the labyrinth from fighting monsters or gathering in order to upgrade their selection. This gives an incentive to explore all that there is on any floor.

-It's gleefully difficult. There are monsters that you can see walking on the map called FOEs which create a lot of tension since there really is no way to tell if they can 1hko your entire party or not.

So yeah. There you have it.

Also while I liked the 1st a whole lot don't play it over 2 because, apart from poorer design overall,(copied from a skype message I sent a while back):

Holy shit:

Persona Q looks like shit I mean oh my god.

Those fucking weaboo graphics.

sean where do you find so much fucking time to play all these 100 hour games?


is it because you have NO LIFE MAYBE????